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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — in music
  9. tube — a container
  10. march — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — a partner
  17. band — a ring
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — to cut
  20. staff — employees
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rest — a break
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com